The present invention pertains to vehicles and methods for transporting individuals, and more particularly to balancing vehicles and methods for transporting individuals over ground having a surface that may be irregular.
A wide range of vehicles and methods are known for transporting human subjects. Typically, such vehicles rely upon static stability, being designed so as to be stable under all foreseen conditions of placement of their ground-contacting members. Thus, for example, the gravity vector acting on the center of gravity of an automobile passes between the points of ground contact of the automobile""s wheels, the suspension keeping all wheels on the ground at all times, and the automobile is thus stable. Another example of a statically stable vehicle is the stair-climbing vehicle described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,548 (Decelles et al.).
The invention provides, in a preferred embodiment, a device for carrying a standing person with a desired unassisted motion over a surface. The device has a platform which supports a payload, a ground-contacting module coupled to the platform that has, in turn, two laterally disposed and separately rotatable ground-contacting members. Additionally, the device has a motorized drive arrangement that causes, when powered, motion of the ground-contacting module and platform. The ground-contacting members may be wheels, and the device may additionally provide for differential control of the wheels.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a device for carrying a user in a standing position, where a drive delivers power to a ground-contacting module in a manner, responsive to user input, if any, as to prevent the platform and user from falling. The device may include a motor and a controller which receives information as to whether the device is falling.
In accordance with yet other embodiments of the present invention, a balancing device is provided for carrying a user in a standing position, and a balancing device is provided that may be braked by leaning of a rider. In further alternate embodiments of the invention, a device is provided for carrying a standing user that is steered by differential operation of the ground-contacting members, and a balancing device is provided that is steered by differential operation of the ground-contacting members.
In accordance with other embodiments of the invention, a device is provided to carry a standing user where the device has a ground-contacting module having an area substantially equal to the characteristic area of the standing user or a characteristic linear dimension comparable to the shoulder width of the user. Balancing devices are provided, in accordance with other embodiments, that convey a user to conduct an activity such as a work or recreational activity.
In accordance with an another alternate embodiment of the invention, a balancing device is provided for conveying a user, where ground contact is provided by clusters of wheels. The various balancing devices may be controlled by leaning of the user or by the orientation of the user with respect to the platform supporting the user. Additionally, a toy vehicle is provided in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention, that has a chassis and a balancing ground-contacting module coupled to the chassis, the ground-contacting module having two clusters of wheels.
In accordance with an alternate embodiments of the invention, a method is provided for braking a vehicle having a motorized drive. The method has the steps of leaning back relative to the vehicle and using the motor to slow the vehicle in response to the leaning. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for causing a vehicle having a motorized drive to move in a first fore-aft direction. The steps of the method are, first, providing an input specifying a desired motion in the first fore-aft direction, then causing the vehicle to move in a direction opposite to the first fore-aft direction in response to the input, and, finally, after the preceding step has been performed, accelerating in the first direction. Further alternate embodiments of the invention provide methods for employing each of the devices provided in the foregoing embodiments of the invention.